Ministry of Culture
Initiatives to inculcate respect amongst the younger generation for Indian Cultural Heritage
Many initiatives to inculcate respect amongst the younger generation for Indian Cultural Heritage have been taken up by the ministry.
The thrust towards Yoga, various Cultural Circuits, etc., are some of the initiatives on the part of the Government in this direction.
Also Organisations under this Ministry like Lalit Kala Akademi , Sahitya Akademi , Centre for Cultural Resources and Training , Sangeet Natak Akademi , Kalakshetra Foundation , National school of Drama are organising various cultural events like exhibitions, Workshops, camps, panel discussions, festivals, and also through medium of theatre with the main objective creating an understanding of aesthetic and cultural values in order to appreciate and understand the creative expressions of mankind through the ages. Special efforts are being made to involve the youth in cultural development, to inculcate in them a spirit of harmony and togetherness and to channelize youthful energy in creative and productive pursuits.
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training organizes ‘National Cultural Festival’ in which students interact with Scholars and Gurus. Students are also taken on tours to the places of cultural and natural importance, to show, how nature has inspired the visual artists, poet, musician or dancer, and to motivate them for making efforts to conserve our heritage at regional levels.
To promote the Indian cultural heritage through the medium of theatre, National School of Drama conducts workshops under its outreach programme in various parts of the Country, where on culmination of these workshops, the plays produced are stage performed and documented by the National School of Drama.
‘Aao Mitti Me Khele’ a clay modeling workshop was organized by Lalit Kala Akademi on the occasion of its foundation day, with the Government school children in Rashtrapati Bhavan to make the younger generation aware of the long history of Terracotta art traditions in India. Lalit Kala Akademi also organizes the ‘Annual National Exhibition’ to promote contemporary art and make younger generation aware of the current practices in the Art and Cultural field.
Sahitya Akademi annually, organizes about 50 Yuva Sahiti programme, publishes about 10-15 books under Navodaya scheme and issues travel grants to about 24 young authors.
Kalakshetra Foundation has produced several dance dramas on epics viz. Ramayana and Mahabharata, highlighting moral values of these epics which have become more relevant to the millennial society.
Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and Culture conducts various activities including monthly book reading sessions &lectures, Bi-monthly Film Screening related to Art &Culture and Monthly Indigenous Games activities for educating young generation in the field of Arts and Culture.
Scheme for Scholarship to young Artists in Different Cultural Fields:
Under this Scheme, financial assistance is given to young artistes of outstanding promise in the age group of 18-25 years for advanced training within India in the field of Indian Classical Music, Indian Classical Dance, Theatre, Mine, Visual art, Folk, Traditional and Indigenous Arts and Light Classical Music etc.
The above information was given by Minister of State  for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate change Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to an Unstarred Question in the Rajya Sabha, today.
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